


Of Borrowed Grace

by LimeyJellyBean



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Confused Castiel (Supernatural), Confused Charlie, Confused Sam Winchester, Disappearing Dean, Mild Language, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:42:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28734390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LimeyJellyBean/pseuds/LimeyJellyBean
Summary: Something’s happening to Dean, and he doesn’t have any idea what’s causing it. He’s one place one minute, somewhere completely different the next - and with no warning or any indication when it’s going to happen. There’s nothing quite so frustrating as disappearing in the middle of conversations or important tasks; he just hopes that it gets fixed before he disappears at a time he’s needed the most.Updates every 2 weeks; tags will get updated at the same time!
Kudos: 10





	1. Burgers

Dean isn’t sure what happened.

He knows he _was_ in the bunker’s kitchen not two seconds ago rather than on this small pier, but how he got there is a complete mystery to him. He can’t work out why it screams familiar at him either, the quiet lapping of the waves against the wood and the shore almost lulling him into a false sense of security. He squints at the lake, taking a measured step forwards as he leaves the trees behind him, almost brandishing the spatula still in his hand as a weapon - _just in case_ , he tells himself. The breeze gently pulls at the apron still around his waist before dropping again, the sun pleasant on his skin. He stops, scratching at his head as _why_ the lake and pier look familiar, grumbling as the answer stays stubbornly out of reach. His phone ringing pulls him out of his thoughts, brow furrowing as he answers.

“... Hey Sammy.”

“ _Dude, where the hell did you go? One minute you’re cooking burgers, the next you’re just… Gone! What the hell, man?_ ” Dean spins on the spot, still trying to figure out where he is, freezing when he remembers what he was doing beforehand.

“SHIT! The-” He blinks, opening his eyes again not to pier and lake but the bunker kitchen, spinning around again to a very confused looking Sam. His phone is still to his ear as he finishes his sentence, hearing the echo from Sam’s phone on the other side of the room.

“- burgers…” Dean’s phone slowly drops to his side, eyes flitting between Sam and the rest of the room just to make sure that he really _is_ back.

“Dude… What the hell?”

“... I don’t know.” Sam’s eyebrows stay stubbornly where they are, the look on his face almost comical.

“ _What the hell?_ ” Dean whips around, brandishing the spatula at his younger brother with a warning look on his face.

“ _I. Don’t. Know._ Now drop it, okay?” He pockets his phone again before turning back to the stove and to burgers, checking they haven’t burnt in his absence. A small sigh of relief escapes as he flips them over, ignoring the mild confused noises from Sam as he focuses again on his cooking; the small niggle of the pier and whatever the hell just happened quickly vanishing from thought as food takes over.


	2. Lincoln

It happens again a few months later, the first instance having been completely forgotten by Dean.

He’s on the phone with Charlie, trying to help with a case of torn-open chests and missing hearts where all evidence _should_ point to werewolves but something doesn’t quite add up. It’s a literal head-scratcher, and Dean can feel himself getting more frustrated that it isn’t just as simple as it should be.

“Where did you say you were again?” He paces up and down the library, hand on the back of his neck as he tries to figure out anything else that fits the monster profile.

“A motel just outside Lincoln - I was just about to go and get something to eat, give my eyes a break from all this reading.” Charlie sounds weary over the phone, frustration just about creeping into her voice as she sighs. “It seems like something I’ve heard of before but it’s staying _just_ out of reach, and it’s starting to piss me off.”

“I know what you mean… It’s right _there_ , but… This would be so much easier if I could see what you’re looking at.” He doesn’t expect the sudden scream as Charlie drops her phone, it landing on the carpet with a muffled thud as he slowly lowers his own phone from his ear. Her eyes are wide, hands covering her mouth as if to stop any more screams escaping, looking towards Dean as if he’d grown another head.

“Sorry… Just- What… _How?_ ” Dean slowly turns where he stands, taking in the tacky décor of the motel room that is definitely not the bunker library he was just standing in.

“ _... What the fuck._ ” He subconsciously hangs up the phone, shoving it in his pocket as he turns back to Charlie, his own eyes just as wide to match.

“Dean… What’s going on? How- Where’s Cas?”

“Um. Cas isn’t- He didn’t bring me here.” Charlie’s eyes get wider, taking a tentative step forward just to make sure she isn’t hallucinating as she jabs a finger into Dean’s chest.

“ _Ow?_ ”

“Sorry. Making sure I’m not losing it, y’know?” She shrugs as she collapses on to the nearest chair, thoughts of food long forgotten. “Well… I guess since you’re here you can take a look at what I’ve got so far, see if we can finally figure out what this thing is.”

“Sounds good.” Dean shrugs himself as he joins Charlie at the tiny motel table, taking a file as it’s handed to him. The file lands on the table before Dean can sit on the chair, looking up with a loaded question that falters on his tongue as he’s met with library shelves and dim bunker light rather than Charlie.

“ _Motherfu-!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 weeks later, as promised!
> 
> I also post on [Tumblr](http://limeyjellybean.tumblr.com/) if you want to be added to a tag list and notified of when there's updates?
> 
> Otherwise, if all goes to plan, I'll see you in 2 weeks!


	3. Library

There’s a lot more sideways glances in Dean’s direction since he unexpectedly popped in on Charlie, Sam’s phone ringing the second Dean had disappeared from the motel room to ask what the hell was going on. It had left the pair of them confused, promises exchanged that if it were to happen again the other would _immediately_ be informed to try and work out if there was any way of figuring it out. Sam had been half tempted to buy a bell for his older brother, but trying to figure out a way to stash it on him without Dean noticing had led to the idea being shelved, at least for now anyway. What would help him is if he knew what was causing it in the first place, neither Winchester actually having any idea as to why Dean kept disappearing and reappearing in seemingly random places. Even Rowena seemed stumped, a brief once over of Dean giving no answers to anyone.

“D’you feel any different before it happens? Tingly, dizzy, anything like that?” Rowena’s fingers drum across the pages of the tome open in front of her, skimming over the information again in case there was anything that sounded even remotely like what was going on.

“No, nothing. I’m one place one second, another the next - and coming back from wherever I end up is exactly the same.” Dean rests his head against the closest bookshelf, closing his eyes in a vain attempt to stop the questioning.

“And you’ve no control over where you go?”

“Not as far as I know. Although I’ve never exactly tried to control it, ‘cause I don’t know when it’s gonna happen.” He stubbornly keeps his eyes closed as he shrugs, ignoring the sigh of resignation from Rowena. “I also don’t know what it is, and don’t want to mess with it. I’d be happier if it just stopped.”

“It’s not as easy as that dear.”

“Yeah, well… It should be.” Dean opened his eyes again with a deflated sigh, all but throwing himself into the chair on the opposite side of the table. “Unless you’ve got something to stop it, I’m stuck with it.”

“Give me some time and I’m sure I can come up with something.” Rowena looked up, shaking her head at the now vacant chair opposite, making a mental note of the occurrence. “So… No noise when he leaves either. Interesting.” She shook her head again at the sound of shouting further within the bunker, unable to help the laugh as Dean reappeared, clothes sodden and dripping on the library floor. She opened her mouth to say something, Dean’s finger stopping her as he looked up. A droplet ran down his face, Rowena unable to stop the giggle as she moved her hands in front of her mouth to try and stop any more escaping.

“Not a word, understand?” She nodded, watching Dean carefully as he stood with a sigh, peeling his outer shirt off as he trudged further into the bunker to change into dry clothes. There was another small giggle at his muttering as he disappeared around a corner; Rowena keeping one hand over her mouth just in case as she flipped the page with the other, now with more information to try and find out exactly what was happening to Dean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters are gonna get longer soon, I promise! ❤


	4. Nowhere

It happens again just a few days after the incident with Rowena, leaving Dean stranded in the middle of nowhere with nothing to his name but his phone and the clothes on his back. He grumbles as he fishes his phone from his pocket, holding it up to try and get any bars of signal, groaning as they stay stubbornly absent.

“Oh, come _on!_ ” He kicks the ground in frustration, growling as his foot connects with a rock that the grass had sneakily decided to hide from him. “ _Motherfu-!_ ” He’s glad there’s no one else around to see the way he’s hopping, cursing under his breath about _‘What a stupid place for a rock’_ and _‘Stupid thing has no right being there’_. Dean sighs as the throbbing subsides, throwing himself on the ground with a huff, letting himself fall back into the grass with more force than necessary. He groans again as the cold ground begins to sap heat from him, throwing an arm across his eyes as he tries to will himself back to the bunker.

“Come on… Come on, come on, _come on..._ ” His arm drops again as his hopes are momentarily raised, growling as grass and clear skies meet his vision. The growl dies in his throat as he opens his eyes properly, the vantage point of being on his back allowing him to see constellations and a myriad of other stars; slowly taking his phone from his pocket and sending a silent thanks to whoever needs it that there isn’t any light pollution around to interrupt the awesome sight above him. He snaps a handful of pictures, finger hovering over the ‘send’ button on a message to Sam as he remembers the lack of signal out here in Bumfuck, Nowhere, pocketing his phone again with another sigh.

“You’d like this, Sammy. Geeking out over just how _clear_ it all is, and whatever the fuck that constellation is called… And that one.” Dean laughs to himself, a strange feeling of peace washing over him as he lies back in the grass with his arms across his chest, crossing his ankles as he marvels at the sky.

And if he gasps and geeks out himself over seeing a shooting star…? Who’s going to know?


	5. Lake

Castiel’s head tilts at the pictures on the wall from Dean’s last adventure, fingers ghosting over the photograph before turning back to the hunter deep in concentration, gun parts strewn around him. He gently deposits himself in the closest chair so as not to disturb any of the delicate workings on the bed, knowing Dean has everything where he needs it to be to make sure his firearm still works when it’s back in one piece again. He squints as he looks back at them, fidgeting with a loose thread on the trenchcoat before bringing his attention back to Dean.

“They’re beautiful photographs, Dean… Where did you say you took them again?”

“Huh?” Dean looks up from his gun, blinking as he takes a second to figure out exactly what pictures Castiel is going on about. “Oh, those! I, uh… Didn’t.”

“Can you?” The pieces of the gun are deposited on the bed as Dean sighs, Castiel tilting his head in confusion. “Dean?”

“I don’t know where it was. I… It was just somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and…” He sighs again, a defeated noise that only adds to Castiel’s confusion, the next words said so quietly that they’re barely caught. “I wish I knew where it was.” Castiel stands, moving gun pieces away from Dean before placing two fingers on the hunter’s forehead, blatantly ignoring his noises of protest. He sways slightly as Castiel moves his fingers away; the angel keeping an arm on Dean’s shoulder as he regains his balance, shaking his head as he reorients himself.

“Next time, warn a guy?”

“Apologies.” Dean lets out a breath as he stands upright, patting Castiel on the shoulder as he takes a step away, not noticing the way the angel focuses his attention on the sky.

“I don’t think your photographs did this justice… As beautiful as they are, actually seeing it is quite remarkable.” Dean turns back, brow furrowing in confusion at Castiel’s words before following his gaze upwards, soft smile playing on his lips.

“... You knew exactly where this was.”

“It’s easy to know where to look when you were around when it was created.”

“... That’s true.” Dean pauses, hands working their way into his pockets as he stops beside Castiel, basking in the warmth from the angel. “So where exactly are we then?”

“Wyoming.”

“ _Wyoming?_ Jesus… How the hell did I end up _two states over?_ ” Castiel’s brow furrows as he turns to Dean, the hunter still staring up at the stars.

“I brought you here, Dean.”

“This time, yeah.” Dean could feel the blush building in his cheeks, pointedly ignoring the way he could feel Castiel’s stare burning into him, trying not to squirm under the intensity of it. “I, um…” He blinked, looking down with some sort of explanation building in his throat, groaning as he looked up and realised he wasn’t in the field with Castiel anymore.

“... Great.” He looked down, the gentle lapping of water against a pier the only thing keeping him from being in complete silence, sighing as he slowly made his way over to it. The moonlight made it easier to see where he was going, shining off the water as he picked his way through more tall grass before throwing himself down on the pier with a huff.

“Why's this got to happen to me? Why can't it be someone else? And what’s with this damn pier?” He huffed again, reaching in to his pocket for his phone to try and call Castiel or Sam; frozen in position as the long grass rustled behind him from something other than wind. He relaxed as a familiar voice drifted over, laughing to himself at the frantic way it’s calling out for him.

“Dean? _Dean!_ ”

“Over here Cas!” He stuck his arm in the air, waving, hoping it was high enough for Castiel to see.

“... Dean?” Dean sighed, standing with a groan as he made his way to where the pier met the land, making it easier for Castiel to find him instead of just shouting and walking blindly towards him. The grass parted a few seconds later, the angel all but falling forwards with a surprising lack of grace as there was nothing there to stop him. Dean’s eyes grew wide as Castiel continued to stumble forwards, Castiel’s expression mirroring the hunter’s as Dean lunged forwards to grab the back of his trenchcoat. His fingers grazed the material, just about managing to grab a handful before being pulled along with Castiel’s stumbling, a shout escaping his lips as they both tumbled head first in to the lake. The shout was cut short as water made its way down Dean’s throat; spluttering as best he could with his whole body submerged, trying his hardest to cough it back up again whilst keeping track of where Castiel was. Panic briefly crashed through his system as the angel was nowhere to be seen, a flash of beige and glow of grace bringing his heart rate back to somewhat normal levels as he swam deeper to pull Castiel back to the surface. He didn’t think as he grabbed him round the middle, the burning in his lungs from the lack of oxygen spurring him on, trying to get to the surface as quickly as his legs allowed it. Black spots danced on the edge of his vision as the surface of the lake seemed to get further away, Dean’s frustration getting more and more coiled that this was how he was going to die.

The sudden bright light above them gave Dean pause, having blacked out for a few seconds before the feeling of gravity came back to him, grip around Castiel tightening as he braced for impact against the solid wooden table underneath them. He barely registered the scrape of a chair against the floor as Sam flung himself away from the table and any errant water that had followed them from the lake to the bunker, coughing and gasping for air as Sam scrambled to see if they were okay. Dean blinked water from his eyes, rolling Castiel in to his field of vision as the angel coughed up his own lungfuls of water, not noticing the still iron grip Dean had around his waist.

“What the hell?” Sam’s voice was laced with concern, the expression clearly written across his face as Dean sighed in relief that Castiel was okay, falling back against the table with a wet thud.

“I… I disappeared again. Cas followed me though - I don’t know if something about how it happened threw him off, but he didn’t exactly stick the landing… He overbalanced, fell in a lake. I tried to catch him - didn’t work very well, as you can probably tell.”

“... How did you end up near a lake?” Dean lifted his head up just enough to glare at his brother, earning just a shrug as a response.

“That’s really the bit you wanna focus on right now?” He sighed as he dropped his head back to the table, noting the way his clothes had started to cling uncomfortably against his skin.

“I can’t help being curious, Dean. Especially when we still don’t know why this is happening to you, or even what _this_ is. And the fact you can’t control it really doesn’t help.”

"Yeah, well thanks for that lovely insightful input there Sam. We've cracked it _wide_ open now…" Castiel groaning on the table next to him shelved the conversation, Sam throwing Dean a glance that said _‘We’re not done talking about this’_ before focusing his attention on the angel. Dean only rolled his eyes in response, releasing his grip on Castiel as he sat up, giving him room to sit up himself. 

“Hey, slowly does it…” Sam’s hand hovered over the angel’s shoulder as he slowly maneuvered himself into a sitting position, a pained expression on his face. “You okay?” Castiel only shook his head, adjusting his position as he turned to face Dean, pained expression briefly turning to confusion before settling back as he let out a slow breath.

“Is that what you were trying to tell me about before you disappeared? That that’s what’s been happening to you?” Dean faltered under Castiel’s gaze, opting to stare at his hands rather than answer the angel’s question. “And you don’t know how it’s happening to you, or why?”

“... No. I don’t know anything about it - none of us do, not even Rowena - but it just... _Keeps happening._ ” The hunter sighed, briefly looking back up to catch Castiel looking at him inquisitively; head tilted and signature squint on his face. “What?”

“How long has it been happening?” Dean’s expression dropped, looking towards Sam who only shrugged in response.

“Uh… A few months, maybe? It’s only happened about 3, 4 times though, and I’m never gone longer than a few minutes at once.”

“Wait, 3 or 4 times? Dean, why didn’t you say anything?” Sam had loaded bitch face #43 as he glared at his older brother, arms folded across his chest. “When else has it happened?”

“Well… Accidentally popped in on Charlie, but you already knew that one. Rowena - that wasn’t fun, ‘cause I think I ended up in and out of your shower before you were… Cas, pretty much just… Other than those, I can’t think of any other times.” Confusion flitted across Dean’s face as the bitch face Sam had selected turned itself up to 11. “Oh, what now?”

“You don’t remember the first time it happened? Dude, you disappeared on _burgers._ I phoned you to figure out where the hell you’d gone, and you magically reappeared on me while you were still on the phone.”

“... Oh. Yeah.” Castiel cleared his throat, drawing Dean’s attention back to him just in time to see him wipe a stray water droplet from his forehead.

“Months of this, and you never thought to ask for help figuring out why it’s happening?” Dean squirmed under the angel’s gaze, looking down again and finding the pattern in a button more enticing than looking back at Castiel.

“I mean… I asked Rowena. But then I disappeared, got soaked… I was a bit more focused on getting dry again after that. Kinda getting that way again, unless you wanna help there at all?” Castiel rolled his eyes before they glowed with grace, any and all excess water gone from the library and clothes, leaving both himself and Dean sitting pointlessly on the table. “Thanks.”

“But in all seriousness - you never thought to ask for any other help in figuring this out?” Dean knew Castiel’s head would still be tilted, brow still furrowed in confusion as he tried to work out why both Winchesters hadn’t asked him for assistance.

“I- _We-_ thought it was a curse or something, at first. Rowena seemed the best bet for helping with that, even though she couldn’t figure it out.” Sam cleared his throat, catching the attention of both Dean and Castiel. “We could always check in with her again? See if she found anything? I’m sure that it’s had an effect on you could narrow it down a bit, don’t you think, Cas?”

“It’s likely.”

“Great!” Dean clapped, sliding off the table and turning back to his brother and the angel, ignoring the startled looks on their faces. “While you two wait for her to show up, I’m gonna hit the hay.”

“Dean…” A hand stopped Sam in his tracks, another bitch face being thrown his brother’s way.

“No, Sam, I’m going. I nearly drowned today, that water was _freezing_ \- I’m exhausted. You can wake me up when she gets here, or not at all. Your call.”

“You won’t wait?” There’s a hopefulness to Castiel’s voice that almost changes Dean’s mind, shaking his head before looking straight up at the angel.

“And do what exactly? All I’m gonna do is run the risk of it happening again before she even arrives, which isn’t gonna help anybody - screw consciousness, that’s what I say. If you need me, at least you know where I _should_ be.” He doesn’t wait to hear any more arguments as he traipses down the corridor, taking a deep breath as the events of the past few hours weigh on him. He groans as he remembers the gun pieces littering his bed, cursing Castiel for taking him in the middle of something before sighing in resignation.

Maybe sleep isn’t on the cards for him quite so soon after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta da! I promised longer chapters, didn't I? ^_^
> 
> (Come shout at me on [Tumblr](http://limeyjellybean.tumblr.com/)? I don't bite!)


	6. Light

_It’s all too much, too bright, too… It’s overwhelming. It feels like the light is crushing him, a pressing weight on his chest he can’t explain; he can’t move, can’t cry out, can’t get the mass of light to lift just enough for him to breathe. It’s hot to the touch and glowing with such a ferocious blue that screams familiar but the why is tantalisingly out of reach, surprising him at the way the heat doesn’t burn - the way it seems to comfort confuses him. Of all the nightmares he’s ever had, this is definitely one of the strangest ones; nothing about it strikes particular fear into his heart or makes his pulse race, but that he’s faced with this being of light that seems intent on… Watching… Him, unnerves him. He can’t work out where exactly it’s coming from either, it seems like it’s surrounding him and that it’s only where he’s looking at the same time, serving to disorientate him further._

_“Dean.” The light pulses as the word echoes around his head, following the trend of being all around him and just in one place at the same time as he tries to focus as much as he can on it._

_“Dean!” The word is more insistent this time, the pulse stronger to match. He wants to pull his arm from where it’s cemented at his side to shield his eyes from it, grunting as it doesn’t move, closing his eyes to try and save himself from it as best as he can. He grunts again as the light finds a way past his eyelids, opening them in frustration as it pulses at him again._

_“ **Dean!** ” The pulse hurts this time, stabbing at the back of his eyes as he turns his head to try and look away, hoping that stopping trying to focus on it might make it leave him alone. What he doesn’t expect is his head to be forced back forwards so he has no choice but to look straight ahead at whatever this light is, the blue pulsing almost desperately now. His brow briefly furrows in confusion as it seems to change, the ethereal nature of the voice taking on something more familiar as he hears a ‘Dammit’ that is distinctly Castiel’s voice before the light pulses in what seems like annoyance._

_“Dean! Will you wake-”_

“- up!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This _should_ be the last time there's such a short chapter! ... Hopefully.


	7. Whoops

Dean bolts upright, hand flying to his chest as he tries desperately to get his breath back. It takes a few seconds to realise that Castiel is sitting cautiously on the edge of the bed, one hand on Dean’s shoulder and a concerned expression on his face as his eyes finally decide to focus. He swallows as he tries to get his breathing back under control; squinting briefly at the bright light that seems to be coming from the angel, blinking as it fades from view.

“Wha-” He clears his throat, coughing before turning back to Castiel. “What’s up?”

“Rowena’s here.” Dean’s head whips around at Sam’s voice, mentally chastising himself for not noticing his giant of a brother standing in the doorframe. “She’s all ready to try and dig a little more into this, but we just needed you… Figured it’d be better if you were awake for it rather than having your head poked while you slept.” Dean rubs his eyes, trying to chase away any remaining dregs of sleep before casting a quick glance back at Castiel; any light he thought he saw now well and truly gone. He groans as he stands, stretching before looking pointedly towards Sam.

“Okay, but coffee first. I’m not having someone poking around up here without being totally awake for it.” Sam shrugs, turning away before pausing as Dean gestures vaguely to his head.

“I’ll go let her know. We’ll be in the library when you’re ready.” He shrugs again before walking away, leaving Dean and Castiel alone in the room. Dean lets out a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding, glancing back at the angel who was picking at a loose thread on the trenchcoat absentmindedly.

“She does seem rather eager to get started.” Castiel doesn’t look up as he speaks, still picking at the thread as Dean runs his hands through his hair. “I wouldn’t leave her waiting too long.”

“No, I’m not planning on it…” Dean pauses, one hand resting on the back of his neck as he works the other into his pocket. “Cas, can I ask you something?” The angel hums in response as he looks up, blue eyes boring into Dean’s soul. The words get lost on his tongue as he gapes uselessly, unable to keep his gaze as he looks down at his feet. He shuffles as Castiel squints, ignoring the burning that’s crossing his cheeks as the angel stands from his position on the edge of the bed.

“Um… Y’know what..? Doesn’t matter. Let’s- Just- _Rowena_?” He flinches at how broken the sentence comes out, mentally kicking himself for just how stupid he must sound. Castiel blinks at Dean’s rambling, confusion briefly crossing his face as the hunter all but runs from the room, unasked question still hanging in the air. He stares at the vacated space for a second before shaking his head, following both Winchesters to the library where Rowena waits for them.

He doesn’t expect to collide with Dean’s back a few minutes later, spluttering coming from the hunter as coffee drips to the floor from the force of Castiel’s impact. He offers an apologetic look as he steps to the side, curious to know why Dean is standing randomly in the middle of the doorway, gaping at the table where Rowena is busy setting things up. She looks up briefly at the noise from Dean, offering Castiel a little wave before focusing her attention back to the table and the items on it. It’s only as Charlie’s head pops up from underneath that Castiel understands Dean’s stillness; both himself and Sam having neglected to tell him that she had arrived moments before Rowena.

“Oh! Hi Dean!” She gives her own little wave before disappearing under the table again; Dean slowly returns it as confusion crosses his features.

“... Charlie.” Dean blinks before turning to Sam as he enters the library, his own coffee in hand. “Charlie?”

“Oh, yeah. She wanted to be kept in the loop after that case in Lincoln, so she’s here. Being kept in the loop.” He shrugs as he sits down, taking a sip from his mug as he pulls his laptop towards him, careful not to touch anything else that covers the table’s surface. “Did we not tell you she was here?”

“No, no you did not, Sam.”

“Hey Dean, Charlie’s here.” Sam ignores the glower from his older brother, not looking up from his laptop as he takes another sip of coffee. “I mean, I know you only appeared on her that one time, but even that once could help figure out what the hell’s going on, right? The more information we’ve got, the better.” Dean grumbles as he moves out of the doorway, downing the remainder of his own coffee before throwing himself into the nearest chair with a huff.

“That attitude won’t help, dear.” Rowena doesn’t look up as she places another candle on the table, adjusting it slightly before finally focusing her attention on Dean. “Everyone in this room has had some sort of interaction with you when you’ve pulled your disappearing act, so I need them here. And since you want it figuring out too, you need them here as well. So stop your whining, and come here.”

“But-”

“ _Here_.” The tone of her voice offers no room for negotiation, Dean rolling his eyes in resignation as he lifts himself back out of the chair. A protest starts to bubble its way out of his throat as Castiel takes the vacated seat, Rowena shutting it down as she glares at the hunter. Charlie snorts as she appears from under the table; hand covering her mouth as she looks anywhere but Dean before settling herself in the last empty chair in the room, legs folded under her. Dean huffs, crossing his arms across his chest as a small giggle manages to escape Charlie, looking back at Castiel for support only to find a small smile on the angel’s face.

“I hate the pair of you.” Sam laughs then, trying and failing to change it to a cough at the last second as Dean turns his focus on him. “Y’know what? I hate you too.”

“That’s enough of that, dear. Now. _Come here_.” Candles flicker into life as Rowena turns to Dean, hands outstretched. There’s a strange symbol on the floor he hadn’t noticed at first; candle flames rising higher as he crosses the threshold and dying down again as he stops in the middle.

“Is that supposed to happen?” Dean looks down at the symbol, twisting himself to try and work out what the hell it is as Rowena lets go of his hands, stepping away as she does so.

“Just a precaution, in case you have the sudden urge to disappear. It should keep you exactly where you are, until you’re led out of it again.” His attention is snapped back to Rowena at the information, eyes wide as he glances down quickly.

“So I’m stuck here?”

“Only temporarily. Or did you not listen to that part?” More giggles and laughs briefly echoed around the room, stopped only as Dean glowered at each source individually. “Once we’ve worked out what it is that’s making you disappear, then you can leave the circle. Simple.” Rowena tapped Dean’s nose before turning her attention back to the table, arms outstretched as the rest of the candles burst to life. Dean rolled his eyes as ingredients were thrown into a bowl, crossing his arms as he waited for the inevitable burst of flame that signalled the spell was cast, or at the very least ready.

“You couldn’t at least have put a chair here or something?” Dean shifts where he’s stood, moving his weight from one leg to the other, earning a glare from Sam as he does so. “A stool, anything?”

“Dean... Shut up.” The words fall on deaf ears as Dean adjusts his stance again, unfolding his arms to shove his hands into his pockets.

“Seriously, nothing?”

“I suggest you listen to Samuel dear, and be _quiet_.” Another protest starts to work it’s way from Dean; quickly silenced as Rowena looks up from the bowl in front of her, eyes flashing purple as the words die in Dean’s throat. “Better. If you behave, I might even let you speak again when I’m finished.” Dean glared where he stood, folding his arms again and deflating as he realised Rowena wasn’t going to give his voice back to him in a hurry. Charlie snickered again from her chair, looking purposely at the ceiling as Dean turned to look at her. That only served to make Sam laugh, not even trying to hide it as he knew there was nothing that could currently be said or done to him to make him stop. Castiel looked on fondly with his own soft smile, hands clasped in front of him as he waited for Rowena to finish with the myriad of ingredients that made up the spell. A _pop_ and flare of light dragged Dean’s attention back to the table, brow furrowed as Rowena took a step back from the flame.

“Good. We just need one last thing, then we’ll know what’s causing your little problem.” The flames had died down enough for the bowl to be picked up; Rowena bringing it to where Dean was standing before placing it in the circle with him. He shrugged, Rowena rolling her eyes as she pulled one of his arms away from his torso, a small noise of indignation managing to get past the spell she had placed on him.

“Just a speck of blood dear, then you can have your precious arm back. Won’t hurt a bit.” Dean’s eyes grow wide as the information sinks in, somehow getting wider as Rowena pulls a small knife from _somewhere_ on her person. “Now. I’m only going to say this once… _Keep. Still_. Yes? I’m sure you can still nod for me.” The eye roll was ignored as Dean hesitantly relaxed his arm, letting Rowena pry his fist open and eye up which finger looked best to draw blood from. He grimaces as he knife is pressed against the pad of his index finger, wincing as Rowena squeezes just enough to allow a drop to fall into the bowl on the floor.

“That’s a good boy.” She pats Dean’s cheek before stepping away, leaning down to place the bowl back on the table as Dean sticks his bleeding finger in his mouth. “Give it a few seconds, and we should know what’s making you disappear.” Dean sighs, shifting his weight from one leg to the other again as the room waits with bated breath for the outcome of the spell. Castiel leans forward, hands clasped on his knees as Sam closes his laptop; coffee now completely forgotten about as they watch the bowl for the tiniest signs of anything. Charlie’s sneeze briefly brings everyone’s attention to her, an apologetic look on her face as Dean clutches at his chest in shock, turning back to the bowl just in time to see the blue flames spluttering to life.

“Interesting…” Rowena steps closer as the flames rise higher; candles mimicking the blue flames from the bowl before dying down to normal as the fire in the bowl dies out. “That’s very interesting indeed.” Dean’s eyebrows are practically in his hairline as he tries to get Rowena’s attention, resorting to waving his arms in her direction for her to tear her eyes away from the table.

“I think Dean would very much like to know what’s happening?” Dean nods, briefly turning and pointing at Castiel before turning his attention back to the witch, gesturing at the bowl.

“I’d like to know too? This suspense is killing me.” Sam nods along as Charlie sits up straighter on the chair, straining to see if anything else is happening.

“It seems that Dean here - somehow - has managed to get himself a little bit of grace.” Castiel cautiously stands as Rowena looks at him, confused expression on his face as his brows knit themselves together.

“How?”

“I can’t tell you how dear, only what. How would require a whole different spell that I currently don’t have the ingredients for.” Castiel looks towards Dean, holding his hands up in defence as the angel steps towards him. He takes a subconscious step back, stopping only when he meets the edge of the circle and the barrier keeping him in place.

“Cas… What are you doing?” Sam moves to stand, hands braced on the table as the angel looks over at him.

“Rowena doesn’t have the necessary ingredients to work out _how_ your brother has grace. I don’t need magic to get the answer, providing Dean allows me to look.” Castiel looks towards Dean, waiting for a signal that gives the angel permission to go poking around in his head. His eyes are wide, the finger Rowena drew blood from back in his mouth as he makes an inquisitive noise around it.

“I mean… That _sounded_ like a yes? As much as someone can say yes without a voice.” Charlie shrugged in her seat, head in her hands as she looked on with interest. “And I haven’t had a chance to ever see Cas in action yet… Consider me curious.”

“I would rather have verbal consent than a guess at a noise. Which does mean Dean needs his voice back.” Rowena sighed as she clicked her fingers, Castiel nodding his head in thanks as Dean coughed from the circle.

“The silence was nice while it lasted, at the very least.” She stands to one side, arms folded as she leans against the edge of the table, eyebrow cocked in curiosity as Castiel stands closer again to Dean.

“What are you gonna do?” Sam can’t keep the curiosity out of his voice, sitting again as Dean glares at Rowena.

“ _When_ your brother allows me to, I should be able to read the grace, in a manner of speaking. I’ll be able to figure out where it’s come from or how it got there after that.”

“And why d’you need my permission for that?” There’s hesitation in Dean’s voice as he speaks, hands working their way into his pockets as his shoulders move forwards, unconsciously trying to make himself look smaller.

“You’d rather I just dove straight in and started looking through your head without warning? Without a chance to at least brace yourself?” Castiel cocked his eyebrow, head tilting as he turned back to Dean.

“... No.”

“That’s why I need your permission. I also don’t want to run the risk of hurting you either.” Dean shrugs, stepping further into the circle from the edge as Castiel eyes him with curiosity.

“Go on. The sooner we can find out and stop this happening, the better. It’d make me feel a whole lot better figuring out how it got there too.” Another shrug from Dean as he takes a deep breath, steeling himself for however Castiel is about to look at the grace. There’s the briefest of squeaks as Charlie leans further forward, jaw basically on the floor as she looks on with wonder in her eyes - Sam rolls his eyes and laughs as he catches her in the corner of his vision.

“Ready?” Castiel’s hand is millimeters away from Dean’s forehead, the hunter almost going cross-eyed to look at it before nodding.

“Yes.” The distance is gone before Dean can blink, Castiel’s eyes lighting up with his own grace as he reaches in to figure out how the hunter has ended up with any. His brow furrows as he searches, growing deeper as Dean lets out an involuntary grunt before he closes his eyes.

“Cas…?” Sam’s voice is laced with concern, on the other side of the table before he’s realised where he’s going, or that he’s stood up to start with. The angel only holds a hand up in response, signalling the younger Winchester to stay where he is. Sam swallows thickly, nerves starting to show the longer both Castiel and Dean are silent within the circle, no movement from either of them except for the rapid movement of Dean’s eyes beneath his eyelids.

“Is it always so anticlimactic?” Charlie whispers towards Sam, almost falling out of her chair as she waves to get his attention. Rowena laughs behind her hand as Sam rolls his eyes again, shaking his head as folds his arms across his chest.

“Not really… There’s usually a little more of _something_ … Maybe the _‘how’_ is buried deeper than Cas thought?” The concern is mixed with hesitation now, Sam taking a subconscious step back as Castiel’s brows somehow furrow even deeper than before. “Although… That doesn’t look promising.” He takes another step back, almost falling onto Charlie before regaining his composure, brushing himself off before turning back to look at the circle and his brother. His own brows furrow as Castiel squints, almost looking pained before his eyes are drawn to the light that’s beginning to come from Dean’s forehead.

“Uh, Cas…? Wha- What’s that?” There isn’t time for an answer before the light explodes, throwing Dean and Castiel in opposite directions across the library - the thought briefly crosses Sam’s mind that he’s sure he only heard one ‘thud’ as they landed - before it’s gone just as quickly as it occurs. Charlie is quick out of her seat as she moves to help Castiel up from where he’s landed, quickly scouring the rest of the library for any signs of where Dean ended up, frowning when she can’t immediately see him. Rowena hesitantly steps out from behind a bookshelf, noticing the broken circle as she steps further into the room, waving her hand to put out candles before they burn out of control.

“What were you saying about anticlimactic, dear?” Rowena brushes herself off before turning to Charlie, eyebrow raised in question.

“Maybe I spoke too soon. My bad.” Her voice is strained as she helps Castiel into a sitting position, Sam kneeling on his other side as the angel presses a hand to his forehead. He grunts before pulling his hand away, taking a deep breath as he quickly scans the library; panic creeping into his features.

“... Where’s Dean?”


End file.
